I heard that this movie is very famous and I must say, it is famous, for a reason.
Story 10/10
The story is based on real life events and you can feel this throughout the entire movie.
The historical events are extremely vivid and detailed. I found it very interesting.
Art 10/10
Needless to say, Studio Ghibli never disappoints us. The animation is definitely better than anything else from that time. I mean, can you believe it is from 1988?!
The art is so well-done and all the little things are captured to the finest detail, several times causing cold shivers on my back. It really shows the fact that Mr. Takahata didn't only read about these things in history books.
Characters 10/10
There are not so many, it is mostly the main characters and some other side characters. The side characters, as a whole, represent the Japanese society and they all react and behave the same way. Their distanced behaviour is just as painful as watching these small children trying to survive in a war zone.
Overall 10/10
It is such a roller coaster. Even if you kind of know already from the beginning what is expected to happen, you are still able to have a faint smile on your face at certain points.
Just to be perfectly honest, it is NOT an easy thing to watch.
However, I think it is definitely a must-watch for everyone, not only for anime-lovers.
I must say though, I am not planning on rewatching this anytime soon.
